Let's Make Soup

 Once again, winter has arrived in Israel, with a nice bit of rain, and some brisk, sunny weather. As the Talking Heads so eloquently expressed it in "Life During Wartime," "this ain't no party, this ain't no disco." So we have to look extra hard to bright moments in the dark days of Kislev and the "matsav" (situation).

For us, one such moment was meeting Chaya Bluma Gadenyan at a local vendor fair. She is the author of Getting Ready for Shabbat!: Let's Make Soup!, with art by Eugenia Ard (self-published, 2023). Chaya Bluma's first trip to Israel was for her bat mitzvah. She returned to Israel permanently in the late 1980s and worked in high tech for many years, eventually leaving a job as CFO to pursue "a more personally meaningful endeavor." During the pandemic, she taught English online to over 400 Chinese children on a one-on-one basis, and for the past three years, she has facilitated English learning for groups of Israeli youngsters.

The idea for the book germinated many years ago, when she heard a "put the chicken in the pot" song on a CD. As Chaya Bluma was looking for books to share with kindergarteners in her groups, her list of criteria included simple words, a positive message, appealing illustrations, and Jewish values. She remembered the song and realized it would make a great book. The book features her grandson, who is old enough to help and enjoys cooking with his grandmother. 

SPOILER ALERT!: The book begins with some wordless pages. A young boy is dropped off by an apartment building, and he climbs the steps to his grandparents' apartment with his school tik (bag) and two bags of groceries in tow. Grandmother (Grandma, Nana, Bubbe, Savta, Nona) is delighted to see him, and after he washes up, his grandmother asks what he wants to put in the pot. In go chicken, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, spices, potatoes, parsley, and finally, water. The words fit the tune of "London Bridge Is Falling Down." With the addition of each ingredient, Grandmother "stirs it up, nice and hot, we're getting ready for Shabbat." The soup, now ready for Shabbat, sits in the middle of the table. This beautiful double spread captures the colors and the amazing energy of a family around a Shabbat table.

©2023 by Chaya Bluma Gadenyan. Used with permission.

Cooking and singing at the same time, especially with young children, would be very challenging, so Chaya Bluma commissioned a crochet artist to make some of the ingredients in the book. She also created a coloring page, so that a group can review the items, and then follow along with the book.

As for Chaya Bluma's chicken soup, she grew up in an Ashkenazi home and married a Jerusalem-born Persian man, so her repertoire has literally been "spiced up." She makes Gomeh sabzi, which is a chicken soup with lots of fresh herbs and dried lime - her own "fusion" recipe. 

We loved hearing about Chaya Bluma's self-publishing journey from finding an illustrator to picking a printer. There are two versions of the book. The original has activities like a maze and a crossword puzzle at the end, the recipe for Chaya Bluma's chicken soup, as well as QR codes to access the internet, and information about names and Shabbat. The second edition has question prompts, is less expensive, and does not include the activities (or the codes). Both versions have vibrant pictures, and because Chaya Bluma was able to work so closely with the illustrator, the boy looks like her grandson, and the grandmother looks like...Chaya Bluma.

Chaya Bluma has also published an adorable coloring book for girls -- Girls' Names from the Hebrew Bible. On the left of each double spread is a "modern" girl dressed modestly, and on the right is her biblical counterpart: Sarah, Rivka, Leah, and more. She has developed a card name based on the soup book, and is working on several children's picture book manuscripts. 

It was a pleasure meeting Chaya Bluma and learning about all her creative projects.

A Visit to the National Library of Israel

 

Creative Commons license

Many were anticipating the gala, grand opening of the new campus of the National Library of Israel, but with the current "matsav" (situation), it's been kind of a "soft" opening, with a limit on how many people can be in the library for security reasons. We joined one of the daily tours of the facility, and the world "cool" came to mind throughout the tour. 

As you can see from the photograph, the building is supposed to look like an open book. You don't really get that close up, but it's still an interesting shape. It is also a "green" building, so several aspects are mindful of the environment, including the landscaping. Our tour guide pointed out that while across the street (to the right in the photo), the Knesset building is heavily fenced, the library has no gate or fence, so everyone has access.

To preserve the quiet of the library, the tour guide had a microphone, and all the tour participants had head sets connected to the tour guide's output, so she could speak quietly and everyone could hear what she was saying. The building is built from Jerusalem Stone, a light-colored limestone. Even though it is called "Jerusalem Stone," the limestone for the building was quarried in Mitzpe Ramon, about 115 miles south in the Negev.

As part of the green concept, there is a huge skylight above the main reading rooms:

Besides the main reading room, there are several rooms for special collections and exhibits. There are offices, a synagogue and a prayer room.

What if the material you want isn't on the shelf? They it has to be retrieved from "the stacks," another really cool aspect of the library. In the storage area, the air is maintained at a very low oxygen level (like being on Mount Everest), so that nothing can catch fire. It also means that humans cannot breathe in the area, so it is all automated. The boxes are barcoded, and a computer directs the machinery.

Outside, there is a big area for gatherings, and a rock sculpture representing letters:

REAL ISRAEL

We usually finish up with a look at "The Real Cats of Israel." This segment originated because there were so many books about cats in Israel that gave the impression that they are all cute and cuddly and people love them, when, in fact, they are feral, often sickly, and are very unpopular, often dubbed "Israel's squirrels."

So we'll end with REAL ISRAEL and dedicate this to the memory of Lavi Lipshitz, a 20-year old killed in battle on October 31st. Besides being a talented photographer, Lavi was an avid reader. May God avenge his blood.

The Beauty of Israel

I cannot help but wonder at the irony of my blog when Israel is being attacked on all sides by her enemies. But I think this is an important post. We in Israel basically want to live in peace and enjoy our beautiful homeland.

 Jewish librarians have lamented that there are very few books for children about Israel that are just positive, good books -- no politics, no agenda. This season, there are three excellent children's books and a "coffee table book" that highlight the beauty of Israel, its diverse plants and animals and their ecosystems, and the wonder and miracle that is the Land of Israel.

Hava Divon's Barefoot in the Sand (Green Bean Books, 2023) is a story about making dreams come true. From the time he was a boy and heard stories about an amazing place, Saul longed to go to the Land of Israel and put his bare feet in the sand. When he grows up, he charts the way there from his home in Romania. Walking many miles, then taking a train, then taking a boat, he finally arrives in Tel Aviv. He then takes off his heavy boots and dances barefoot in the sand, joyfully singing Psalm 114 - “When the Jews left Egypt – a place so strange to Jacob and all his descendants – the Land of Israel became their haven and their home.” But wait! As Saul is reveling in being in Israel, another man, who has dark skin and is holding his sandals, is also barefoot and completes the verse from the Psalm. He is Solomon, and he has ridden a donkey all the way from Yemen. Rotem Teplow's illustrations complement the text, and they capture the dream and yearning of Jews to be in Israel in the past and today.

Thank you to the folks at Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for an advance copy of Martin Lemelman's The Miracle Seed because as I read this book, I keep saying "Cool!"

Graphic novel - cool

Archeology in Israel - cool

Discovering a 2,000-year-old date seed - very cool

Planting the seed and growing a date palm - really cool

And harvesting the dates - super cool

The graphic novel format is perfect for the combination of history and science. I can hardly wait to visit the Arava Institute in southern Israel and see the trees for myself!

Wikipedia Commons

A Feather, a Pebble, a Shell (Kar-Ben, 2024) is written and illustrated by Miri Leshem-Pelly, the author and illustrator of over a dozen children's books, including Chloe's Nature Journal and Penny and the Plain Piece of Paper. Based on her childhood experiences, Leshem-Pelly captures the beauty and diversity of Israel. From north to south, there are so many interesting and wonderful places. I was pretty excited to see the Twins Cave, also known as the Bat Cave included in the book because my family has often hiked there. It always amazes me that there are lush green parks in the center of Israel, and about two hours' drive south, the landscape is dry and stark, with totally different animals and plants. 

Unlike the girl in the book, who leaves the feathers, pebbles and shells she discovers for other people to find, I love having a little souvenir of my visit:

In My Israel: Seventy Faces of the Land (Gefen Publishing, 2023), "seventy prominent Israelis write movingly about their own special corner of the Land of Israel." Compiled by Nechemia (Chemi) J. Peres (son of Shimon) and Ilan Greenfield (Gefen's publisher), the book is divided into five sections: Zionist History: Sacrifice for the Homeland, Nature: The Land of Milk and Honey, Social Equality: Coexistence and Unity, Spirituality: History of the Jewish People, and Culture and Leisure: Life in Israel. Full disclosure: we like looking at pictures better than reading essays, although the one by Miriam Peretz, which describes why Samuel's Tomb is significant to her is touching (her sons Eliraz and Uriel "fell in battle during their service in the IDF"). Other contributors include Israeli executives, rabbis, and IDF officers, who describe their connection to places like Akko, Ben Gurion Airport, military cemeteries and historical sites like the Atlit Detention Camp, the Western Wall, and Habima National Theater. The mayor of our fair city (running for re-election, by the way) talks about Tel Beit Shemesh archeological site and the challenge of preserving it in the midst of a growing city. Our favorites: the dramatic landscapes of the Ramon Crater and the Negev and the gorgeous beaches at Arsuf Kedem and Tel Aviv.

As for the Real Cats of Israel, the ones are the Jerusalem Zoo are definitely a part of the beauty of Israel:

Happy Reading!

Elul 5783

 Wow! It's that time of year when we review the previous months and the books that have made an impact. Whether they have provided food for thought or good advice for the coming year, our list, much like our library, contains a variety of genres and subjects and fall into three categories: self improvement, enlightenment, and enjoyment.

SELF-IMPROVEMENT

Atomic Habits: An Easy and Proven Way to Build Good Habits and Break Bad Ones by James Clear.

The perfect book to read before Rosh Hashanah, when many Jews resolves to do things better or differently in the coming year. It reminded me of one of the classic Jewish books on character development, and Clear's advice is straightforward and easy to implement. 

Body & Soul: The Torah Path to Health, Fitness and a Holy Life by Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld & Dr Daniel Grove, MD.

We pray for health and healing, and this book is an interesting combination of Torah sources, suggestions and information to put you on the path to more meaningful living. With advice from rabbis and scholars and a medical advisory board, the book begins with a list of Torah luminaries and what they did to promote health and wellness, including diet and exercise. The authors assert that you are doing twenty mitzvot at the same time when you are exercising, and suggest ways to meet the challenge of staying healthy while partaking in lavish holiday meals, particularly in the month of Tishrei. There are "quiz questions" between the chapters, a food calorie guide, extensive endnotes, and a detailed index. 

ENLIGHTENMENT

Can The Whole World Be Wrong?: Lethal Journalism, Antisemitism and Global Jihad by Richard Landes. 

This book could also have been titled "Can the Whole World Be Crazy?" Amazing and meticulously researched. I learned so much about the mainstream news media and so many terms that pinpoint the zeitgeist of the 21st century: moral schadenfreude, Y2K Mind, oikophobia. Enlightening and at times funny, it is also a warning. I particularly like the "Astoundingly Stupid Statements Discussed in This Chapter" at the end of several chapters because of their irony.

ENJOYMENT

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Loved, loved, loved this book. It reaffirmed the joy of reading. Amazing, complex characters, strong sense of time in the 1960s and the challenges for women to be taken seriously, respected and appreciated. So much interesting information about chemistry and rowing. Although there was tragedy and sadness, there was also humor and lots of love -- the kind you build with the family you choose.

Packing My Library: An Elegy and Ten Digressions by Alberto Manguel

It's always nice to discover a kindred spirit, especially when it comes to books and reading and what a treasure it is to enjoy both. I loved reading about Borges, about Kabbalah, and about the joys of a physical book. It also reminded me of my boxes in storage, which, in the coming year, I hope to unpack.

With the high heat in Israel, the Real Cats have spent a lot of time sleeping in the shade, so, instead, with the New Year, Life Is Like a Library brings you the Beauty of Israel:

The Judean Hills near Beit El

May you be inscribed for a good year!

Happy Reading!

The Joys of Summer Reading

Between the extended hours of daylight, perhaps a lighter schedule, and some scheduled vacation, summer has always been an opportune time to read. We have fond memories of the Summer Reading Program at the local public library with special membership cards and charts and prizes, which included a game of bowling and a free frozen yogurt. We've always thought such incentive programs would work well for adults, but maybe with some more "mature" prizes.

Libraries and bookstores promote "beach reads." Interestingly, The Guardian did research and found that the term gained popularity in the 1990s. Over time, it began to describe a certain type of book, something that will have mass appeal and isn't particularly intellectually stimulating.

Our summer reading thus far does not fall into the "beach read" category:

First off, a recommendation for Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros (Inkyard, October 2023). We were lucky enough to get an advanced copy of the latest book by the author of The City Beautiful - winner of the 2022 Sydney Taylor Book Award for Young Adults. We were totally blown away by this book about a female golem that takes place in Lithuania during the Holocaust. Interesting characters, strong sense of place and time, and a denouement (fancy word for how the whole story is wrapped up) that kept us on the edge of our seats, refusing to put down the book until we were finished. Run out and get this one immediately! 

Another highlight has been Possession by A. S. Byatt, a 1990 Booker Prize Winner. Our friend Jennifer recently organized "The Long Book Club." For those who many be intimidated by a book that is over 300 pages, she decided the group would read a long book - 500+ pages, but that we would meet every two weeks to discuss about one hundred pages. It feels a little like taking a course and doing homework, but with this book, it is well worth the time and effort. No Jewish content, but tons of references, fancy words, interesting places, and mythology and marine biology. As we read, we marvel at the genius of Byatt for weaving it all together in a story of a Victorian romance and a contemporary one.

And then there's a children's Passover book - Workitu's Passover (Green Bean Books, 2023). It is "a story from Ethiopia" about the custom of Ethiopian Jews to break up their clay kitchenware before the holiday, "blend the fragments with more clay, and then create new containers from the mixture." Great illustrations complement the text, where Workitu is not happy because the family will break their dishes, but in the end, is happy to help her Auntie with the new creations.

Finally, the Real Cats of Israel have been trying to stay cool in the heat:

Happy Reading!

Can the Whole World Be Wrong?

 At Life is Like a Library, we love trifectas. And we got a great one recently. Thank you to Pomeranz Books in Jerusalem for hosting an event promoted as

Lethal Journalism and the Oslo Debacle: A Panel About Media Bias Against Israel

Three authors spoke about the topic:

Eliezer Tauber, author of The Massacre That Never Was (The Toby Press, 2021);

Richard Landes, author of Can the "Whole World" Be Wrong?: Lethal Journalism, Antisemitism and Global Jihad (Academic Studies Press, 2022);

and David Bedein, author of Roadblock to Peace: How the UN Perpetuates the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Israel Resource Agency, 2014)

Also in attendance:

 Jonathan Pollard, a former US intelligence analyst who was convicted of "conspiracy to deliver national defense information to a foreign government" and given a life sentence. He was paroled after 30 years and moved to Israel shortly after his parole expired. He sat on the panel with the authors;

and Leo Dee, whose wife and two of his daughters were murdered in a terrorist attack on April 7, 2023. He had much to add to the discussion in terms of how his family members' murders were reported by the media.

Pomeranz is one of our all-time favorite bookstores on many levels. It is a nice big store full of an eclectic mix of Jewish books (and some secular self-help books). It is located on Be'eri Street in Jerusalem, up the street from Froumine House on King George, which was the temporary home of the Israel Knesset from 1950 to 1966. And best of all, the staff is knowledgeable, courteous, and helpful. And, obviously, they host interesting and engaging book events.

Each author spoke, and then the panel interacted and later fielded questions from the audience. Professor Tauber is "a world expert on the emergence of the Arab nationalist movements, the formation of the modern Arab states, and the early phases of the Arab-Israeli conflict. He is currently the director of the Menachem Begin Institute for the Study of Underground and Resistance Movements." He spent four years researching his book and one year writing it. The notes comprise about a third of the book, and Tauber's sources includes archival records, typescripts of interviews, and many memoirs. 

True to its subtitle, Tauber debunks "the myth of Deir Yassin." On April 9, 1948, Etzel and Lehi members attacked the village of about 1,000 residents west of Jerusalem as part of a larger Haganah operation to make the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway safe and break the siege of Jerusalem. About 100 villagers were killed, including women and children, as well as five of the attackers. Most of the villagers escaped to a neighboring village and the reminder were taken prison and moved to eastern Jerusalem. But the battle was exploited to enflame the Arabs against the Jews. The number of casualties was highly inflated, and false reports of rape and other atrocities were spread. Rather than encouraging the Arabs to fight, they fled. Hopefully Tauber's excellent research and presentation will finally put this myth to rest.

Professor Landes was trained as a medievalist and taught history at Boston University. His book "documents how a radical inability of Westerners to understand the medieval mentality that drove Global Jihad prompted a series of disastrous misinterpretations and misguided reactions that have shaped our so-far unhappy century." Another meticulously researched book with extensive footnotes, a comprehensive bibliography and detailed index,  one Amazon reviewer calls the book "frighteningly brilliant and brilliantly frightening." One of our favorite aspects of the book is Landes' terms to describe the current "journalistic" environment, including "Masochistic Omnipotence Syndrome," "Moral Schadenfreude," and "Humanitarian Racism." At a hefty 486 pages of text, it is a fascinating and worthwhile, if challenging read.  

David Bedein established the Israel Resource News Agency and serves as the director of the Center for Near East Policy Research. He also created and maintains the website Israel Behind the News. His book details how the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) blocks peace and supports the teaching of hate and terror in Arab schools. It keeps the refugee issue alive and "avoids any permanent solution to the plight of the refugees from the 1948 war."

Bedein spoke about current efforts to "report Israel's reality to the media," and efforts to stop Palestinians terrorists and their families from receiving stipends for killing Israelis.

As for the Real Cats of Israel, this guy was wandering around the Adamit National Park in Northern Israel, probably more interested in what the picnickers were eating than the amazing views and the Keshet "Cave": 

Keshet "Cave" at Adamit Park

Happy Reading!

MAY 2023 JEWISH BOOK CARNIVAL

 

Life Is Like a Library is honored to host the May 2023 Jewish Book Carnival -- a monthly round up of links from across the blogosphere. It includes book reviews, author interviews, essays and other posts related to Jewish books.

The purposes of the Jewish Book Carnival are to build community among bloggers who feature Jewish books and their blogs, and to promote Jewish reading and fields supporting this reading such as publishing and library services.

As with the last time we hosted (in December 2022), Gila Green is the first one to submit, so she's at the top of the list. This month at Gila Green Writes, Meryl Ain shares what it's like to write a second novel.

At Jewish Books for Kids and More, Barbara Bietz interviews Laurel Snyder about her new middle-grade novel, The Witch of Woodland.

On her blog Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, Deborah interviewed Maxim D. Shrayer about his new book, Immigrant Baggage.

On her My Machberet blog, Erika Dreifus celebrates Jewish American History Month with a distinctly literary flair. 


On The Book of Life Podcast, you can celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month using these resources that include a book list and a list of webinars on Jewish kid lit, and by listening to an interview with Susan Lynn Meyer about her middle grade Jewish novel set on the American prairie, A Sky Full of Song.


The Sydney Taylor Shmooze mock award blog has a review of the new graphic novel version of The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe. The original prose version won the 2018 Sydney Taylor Book Award in the young adult category.


The Association of Jewish Libraries, in cooperation with ALA Graphics, is pleased to bring you this beautiful new Jewish American Heritage Month poster, with original art by Sean Rubin, illustrator of the 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award winning picture book, The Passover Guest by Susan Kusel. Order your poster and matching bookmarks here: https://jewishlibraries.org/celebrate-jewish-american-heritage-poster/

And, at Life Is Like a Library, it's that time of year to read books about Counting the Omer and making positive changes. 

Heidi Rabinowitz has started a new Instagram account, Kidlit Kippot at https://www.instagram.com/kidlitkippot/, to curate images of Jewish representation in illustrations (kippot and other visual markers of Judaism), especially in non-Jewish kidlit. Please follow @kidlitkippot and if you have examples, please send images to Heidi at bookoflifepodcast@gmail.com.

Enjoy!

Counting the Omer 5783

 The period between Passover and Shavuot is a time for introspection and a good opportunity to work on character development as we move from the Exodus from Egypt to receiving the Torah. As in the past, the Life Is Like a Library reading list for these 49 days is a combination of Jewish and secular books. 

In Dance of the Omer: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Transformational Journey of Sefirat Ha'Omer (Mystical Skeptics Publishers, 2021), Rav Benji Elson presents the daily and weekly count as "a journey and process that follows the Waters of Eden as they flow out from the Garden, transform in the processes of precipitation, and ultimately, become the plants of the Garden -- this planet -- and the wheat of the Omer grains themselves. The Dance of the Omer, then, is a transformational 'movement' that mirrors the natural cycles involved in the growth of Life and in the growth of the Omer Offering itself." 

There are many "layers" to this dance. For each week, Elson presents the form of water (River, Sea, Storms, etc.) as well as the corresponding blessing from the Amidah, the Hebrew vowel sound, the type of song, the color, the direction (North, South, etc.), the element (Water, Air, Earth, Fire), the Archetype, and the Prophetess. There are meditations and visualization practices. For each day, there is a discussion of the power of that day, a practice, and a suggestion to apply what was discussed about the day. 

To be honest, there is a lot of metaphor and non-standard practice that is not my cup of tea. But the book provides a lot of information, and the metaphor of water flowing and changing works well to emphasize that we should also be building upon the days of the Omer, noticing the natural flow of life, and hopefully applying what we learn all-year round.

The New York Times Bestseller Atomic Habits by James Clear is a perfect book for the Omer. Don't think "atomic," as in Atomic Bomb blowing up things. Think "atomic" in terms of the atom -- "the smallest unit into which matter can be divided without the release of electrically charged particles." Tiny changes can lead to remarkable results. 

Why this book is so great is because, according to Clear, when you look at your habits, you don't want to think in the short term. 

THERE ARE NOT GOOD HABITS OR BAD HABITS. THERE ARE ONLY EFFECTIVE HABITS.

(This reminded me of one of the tenets of character development: there are no "good" character traits or "bad" character traits. The challenge is to have them in balance, with appropriate traits in appropriate situations).

You have to ask yourself:

DOES THIS BEHAVIOR HELP ME BECOME THE TYPE OF PERSON I WISH TO BE?

DOES THIS HABIT CAST A VOTE FOR OR AGAINST MY DESIRED IDENTITY?

Exactly what we should be thinking about as we count the Omer. Highly recommended reading for everyone, the young the better, so you can develop and maintain good habits and break bad habits early. 

As for the Real Cats of Israel, sometimes you just need to take a nap on a bookcase:

Happy Reading!

All the Broken Places

 John Boyne's latest release is getting a lot of hype and a lot of hate. All the Broken Places (Pamela Dorman Books, 2002 (US edition)) is the sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (David Fickling Books, 2006). I don't recall any book that has incited so much ire from my library colleagues, so let's look at that big elephant first. Written "as a fable," it is the story of Bruno, the son of a Nazi official at Auschwitz, and the totally unlikely and impossible friendship he develops with Shmuel, a boy of similar age who is interred in the death camp. Longing for companionship, Bruno crawls under the barb-wire fence and joins Shmuel, both of them ultimately dying in the gas chamber. The book has sold eleven million copies worldwide, yes 11,000,000 copies, and has been adapted for cinema, theatre, ballet and opera. 

Critics have skewered this book because it is unrealistic, paints Bruno's death as a bigger tragedy than Shmuel's, and distorts the horror of Auschwitz. Rabbi Benjamin Blech, a noted Talmud professor at Yeshiva University, wrote an article on Aish.com that called the book "well-meaning, " but also quoted a Holocaust survivor, who begged the rabbi to "tell everyone that this book is not just a lie and not just a fairytale, but a profanation."

Super Jewish kidlit librarian Heidi Rabinowitz gave her views on Lisa Hedger's podcast "Everyone Loved It But Me." She finds the book extremely offensive because the book does not work as a fable -- there is no moral to teach, it attempts to humanize Nazis, and Bruno is impossibly naive. 

I do not hate this book as much as everyone else does. By now it is too famous to not know the plot and the ending, but when I first read it in 2006, I noted Boyne's skill in drawing the reader in and building tension. I read a lot of Holocaust literature, and I thought that the literary quality of the book would encourage readers to further explore the topic. And even if I did not like it, or found issue with it, it could always be used as an example and a teaching moment by pointing out the inaccuracies and the improbability of the story. 

I was reminded of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's TED Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story." She notes "how impressionable and vulnerable we are in the face of a story, particularly as children." The main takeaway from her talk is that "The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete." I would apply this to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. This is definitely not the one book to read to learn about the Holocaust. But, quite frankly, neither is The Diary of Anne Frank.

Would I have picked up All the Broken Places if it was not promoted as the sequel to The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas? Probably not. I never wondered what became of Bruno's sister, but I was intrigued by the hype. It is interesting how the cover of the UK version mimics its predecessor, while the US version does not. There is something about a sequel -- knowing the characters and their history brings you right into the action of the book. The title is taken from a conversation about Europe after the war: "They're still rebuilding...after all that unpleasantness...". Gretel "felt if I might laugh out loud. It was an extraordinary way to refer to six years of war, countless millions of deaths and all the broken places that had been left behind."

Without giving too much away, All the Broken Places is meant for adults. It is about Bruno's sister, Gretel, and is told in alternating chapters. Gretel is now in her nineties and living in the posh Mayfair neighborhood of London. But every other chapter recalls her back story. She leaves Germany as a teenager. She and her mother are living in Paris three years after Bruno's death -- six months after her father is hanged for war crimes. Her mother has become an alcoholic, and Gretel feels a pervading guilt throughout her life. Her guilt haunts her for the rest of her life, and, as the reader will learn, there are reasons for the guilt.

I enjoyed the book. There is no question of John Boyne's skill as an author. You can tick off all the appeal points: well-developed, nuanced characters, strong sense of place in every location, great pacing and tone. There is humor, anger, sadness -- the whole gamut of emotion.

In his author's note, Boyne describes the book as "a novel about guilt, complicity, and grief." He also notes

Writing about the Holocaust is a fraught business and any novelist approaching it takes on an enormous burden of responsibility. Not the burden of education, which is the task of non-fiction, but the burden of exploring emotional truths and authentic human experiences while remembering that the story of every person who died in the Holocaust is one that is worth telling.

For all the mistakes in her life, for all her complicity in evil, and for all her regrets, I believe that Gretel's story is also worth telling.

It is up to the reader to decide whether it is worth reading.

It definitely is.